Viva Baton Rouge

There they were, in all their glittery glory. One was chubby. One was preachy. One was sneaky. One was bossy. One was bashful. But they’re no dwarves—they’re 13 Elvises who competed last weekend at Hollywood Casino.

The bashful one we’ll call British Elvis, who flew in from his home town north of London. His quiet demeanor likely reflected the man he is back home: Pete Webb, father of four, cabbie, Neil Diamond fan.

But when he hustled onto the casino stage and belted out the very percussive “Fever,” he became Elvis Presley. Think Monty Python meets Graceland: Bishop sleeves framing a flowery print shirt, buttoning down to reveal a V-shaped floral arrangement of dark chest hair, sideburns so black they were blue, and slightly crooked teeth that disclosed his inner-Englishman every time he threw his head back to laugh.

British Elvis’ enthusiasm and tenor trumped Hawaiian Elvis and the other Elvii who snapped their hips for a roomful of screaming silver helmet heads. Some 30 years after The King’s death, you learn the real meaning of a tribute when you’ve got a hunky Monroe lawyer prancing around in a pair of toothpaste-white Daisy Dukes, handing out leis and gentle kisses as he sings.

In the end, however, the judges preferred Leather Elvis, a Canadian decked from shoulder to ankle in black leather. Think of what you’d see airbrushed on an Elvis commemorative plate. Kevin Mills of Ontario will go on to compete at the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in Memphis for the title of “best representation of the legacy of Elvis Presley,” a coveted honor that British Elvis had dreamed of winning for 13 years.

But now it’s back to Old Blighty and life as 40-year-old cab driver Pete Webb, and all that entails: impersonating Elvis at nursing homes (his favorite although lowest-paying gig), delighting his 8-year-old twins and giving his teen-age children an excuse to act annoyed.

British Elvis says, the long trip to Baton Rouge was well worth it. He viewed the city from atop the State Capitol, tried crabcakes, visited Mike the Tiger, even got interviewed by a local TV reporter.

“Catch ya later, Hound Dog Man,” a local shouted out to him on the LSU campus. The bashful Webb waved back, tickled. “Baton Rouge is quite nice.” [225]

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